Did you ever do the horn thing with trucks on the highway when you were a kid?
You know — the one where you'd wait until right when you were passing by the driver, and then make the "horn pulling" motion in hopes that they'd see and give you a honk!
Big rig drivers help move the world's goods from one side of the world to the other, and most of us have probably daydreamed about what it'd be like to drive one, like this truck that pulled an entire castle behind it.
Of course, driving a real tractor trailer takes a lot of training, and you have to pass a test to get a commercial driver's license. Thanks to a guy named Bob Suffern and his daughter, however, now just about anyone can see what it feels like to be behind the wheel of a giant truck — just on a slightly smaller scale.
Scroll through below to see how Suffern's family business is making not-so-micro machines that truck enthusiasts love.
[H/T: DailyMail]
The Lil Big Rigs created by Bob Suffern at his Nashville facility look pretty intimidating…
Until you pull into the truck stop and park them next to a real big rig, that is.
Suffern makes his very own micro-machines by shrinking the traditional American big rig down to the size of a pick-up. And he does it with the help of an all-female team headed up by his own daughter, Jessica.
Lil Big Rigs initially got famous by creating transformation kits that would allow anyone to convert their old pick-up truck into a miniature 18-wheeler.
Suffern, who is originally from Melbourne, Australia, came up with the idea in 1999 and has been selling the kits since 2003.
Suffern told the Daily Mail: "I was working on my own and my daughter Jessica came along and asked me if she could work with me. Over the last eight years, I've taught her everything I know, and she is now an excellent mechanic who is great with fiberglass and bodywork.
“When we were looking for more people, she asked some of her friends, and two of them came in. They’re all doing an excellent job, and I actually prefer running a body shop with an all-female workforce — they put a lot more into what they do.”
Suffern and his team work all year long to make the kits, which sell for around $12,900.
They also sell ready-to-drive versions for those that would rather not go the DIY-route for their own Lil Big Rig.
The miniature tractor trailers are fun to drive, and they sure will get you noticed on the open road!
Suffern told the Daily Mail: "You can't even go to the gas station without getting a reaction. There are always people coming up to you asking you questions and finding out where they can get one."
A turn-key Lil Big Rig will cost you quite a bit more, however.
They start around $65,000 depending on what special features the customer would like included.
The trucks have been very popular among retired truck drivers, who probably feel really strange in a normal car after driving those monstrous trucks across the country for years.
And Suffern is more than happy to give them a truck that looks and feels like the real thing, except you can park it in the garage at night.
Suffern said: "It's awesome, we really love what we do. You get mobbed by people when you drive these things."
Would you like a Lil Big Rig of your own? Tell us in the comments.
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